The Power: Version 20
by Firestorm
Summary: The Ronins discover that there may be someone in the world with the ability of pyrokinesis. They have no idea who this person is, but they are determined to find them, before more harm can be done.
1. Default Chapter

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A/N: This story was written a few years ago, and I felt it was done rather badly, despite the wonderful reviews I have received for it. I hope this version will be considered much better than the last.

Edit: I forgot to put this in here. Do I own Ronin Warriors? If I did, do you think I'd be sitting at home every night? So in other words: No, I don't. Sunrise owns them, and man, did they do an awesome job!

The Power: Version 2.0

Chapter 1.

Ryo felt nothing was better than relaxing after a tough game of Soccer. He had spent the last three hours at Hana High School, playing against the school's rival, the Yokohama F-Marinos. Although it was mentioned what school and city they had come from, Ryo could have cared less. All he had cared about was beating them. And he had. His sudden front snap kick, perfected from a year of fighting against the Dynasty, had proven to be a major help in winning the game. The entire team had thrown a victory party, which involved pizza and coke, and even a water hose party outside.

Chenoa Desio, the defender, had grabbed the hose and had swung it around his head, taunting the other players. One thing led to another and soon the boys were having a free for all. From what Ryo could remember, not one single boy was dry, not even the coach.

He smiled to himself as he stretched against the back of the couch. It felt good to use his energy for something other than fighting. He enjoyed soccer, and being forward was the best position in his opinion. Though he had to feel somewhat sympathetic for the goalie. He had lost count how many times Alonzo Desio, Chenoa's older brother, had broken his nose from the ball getting kicked against it.

A sigh came out of his mouth. As of now, he was alone in the living room. He had learned from Mia, upon entering the house a half hour ago, that Rowen had gone to the university, to talk to an advisor about possibly starting classes early. Even though Rowen was in the 11th grade, because of his SAT scores, the principal had wanted him to take at least two courses at the local college. Ryo was hoping he'd succeed. As far as he knew about Sage, the blond haired Ronin had gone off to teach a class at his father's dojo, and most likely wouldn't return until later tonight. Kento and Cye had gone off surfing. A smile came to the Ronin of Wildfire's face. It had taken Cye a few months to teach Kento how to swim, then finally to surf. But he had pulled it off, and he had been so patient with Kento as well. And because Kento had almost mastered it, Cye had baked him a wonderful treat called Rice Pudding cake. Kento had eaten every bite of it. Which was fine with Cye. As for Mia, she was in the basement, tending to the laundry.

Ryo glanced over at his tiger and grinned at him. "Just think, boy. We have the TV to ourselves for once." He picked up the remote control and began to flip through channels, hoping to come across something that looked remotely interesting. He came across such movies as: Lord of the Rings, Troy, A Night to Remember, Ransom, and then some. The same old shows were on, which was getting rather boring to him at this time. Why couldn't the producers come up with something new for once?

He flipped to another channel and his eyes widen at the sight of a building burning in the background, a safe distance from the American reporter speaking. There was a Japanese voice overhead as the reporter spoke into the microphone.

"No one is sure how the Jelly Bean Factory exploded into flames just a quarter to six this evening. Even as firemen are desperately attempting to conquer the flames, it seems that even more flames continuously erupt through the inferno. There have been no casualties reported as the factory had been closed today for inspection. Those who had been inside the building had managed to escaped just in time with their lives, and are thankfully unharmed."

The camera turned and came upon a rounded elderly man with wire frame glasses, who held a handkerchief to his forehead. "I don't understand it. I was in my office, just waiting for the inspection guy to come and check us out, when suddenly I heard screaming from somewhere, and suddenly there was this loud explosion. I am still not sure how the staff members and I got out alive and unharmed, but we did. It was nothing short of a miracle!"

The camera switched to another survivor who basically said the same thing, before moving onto a witness. "I had just been coming home from a walk with my dog, when I heard the explosion. I turned my head and my mouth just dropped. All the flames and smoke.. It was so heavy it was hard to breathe."

The camera moved back to the reporter again. "There you have it. The fire has been going on for the past two hours now, and no one has any information to how it started. I am certain that the Fire Marshall will have answers for everyone when the time is right. This is Jarod Davis, reporting from KPIX 5, signing off. Back to you, Bob."

Ryo's mouth was wide open with shock, and he slowly realized it had been hanging open for the past five minutes. He slowly closed it, his eyes still wide, as he turned his head to look at White Blaze. "White Blaze, would I be nuts if I said, that doesn't feel like an ordinary fire?"

The wise tiger stared back at him as he rumbled in agreement. Somehow White Blaze had been sensing the same thing, though he wasn't sure on what could have started it all. He did know, that whatever happened, the Ronins would be sure to help out if danger came to the world once again.

Ryo leapt to his feet, having decided to tell Mia the news. He knew she might be interested in this. He ran out of the living room, though he banged his knee on the coffee table. "Oww!" he cried out as he held his left knee, and half ran, half hobbled his way toward the basement door.

Rubbing his knee, he headed down the steps, descending lower and lower. At last he reached the basement floor and began to walk toward Mia, the pain in his knee momentarily forgotten. "Mia! Something weird happen in San Francisco today!"

Mia had been loading the washer with Sage's clothes as she turned to regard Ryo. An eyebrow raised as she wondered what he could have been so excited about. "Oh really? What, another earthquake?" she asked him.

He vehemently shook his head. "No, a fire broke out at a factory, more like an explosion. No one knows how it happened or even why."

Mia added some detergent as she felt somewhat confused. Why would Ryo be frantic about a fire that had been started somewhere far away? She shook her head as she set the timer on the machine and closed the lid. "Ryo, I can understand your fascination with fire and all, but if you think the Dynasty is involved, I highly doubt it."

Ryo again shook his head, feeling somewhat flustered. "That's just it, Mia! I know it wasn't the Dynasty. For one thing, the Ronin armors hadn't felt the evil from Talpa to begin with as they usually do. No, that fire wasn't caused by faulty wiring, nor by someone throwing a bomb into it."

"Gasoline then?"

Again he disagreed with her. "No. For some reason I feel this is different.. Mia, I'll be honest with you. At the time of the fire, I had been playing my soccer game.. I had somehow felt more energy than I usually do during a game. In truth, I had not felt that much energy since I fought Anubis the first time I had gotten out of the volcano."

Mia allowed all of this to sink into her brain. She could not understand what a burning building had to do with Ryo, when they were thousands of miles apart. It didn't make any sense at all. Sure, Ryo could draw his power from the heat of fire, but he had to be near them to do so. So how could he have drawn power from that long of a distance? "So what are you saying?" she asked bluntly as she bent down and began to gather dry clothes from the dryer.

"I'm saying, that I feel the one responsible for that fire, may indeed be human, but with some remarkable powers. And I intend to find out who that person is."

Rowen shook his head at Ryo as he was rather amazed. No sooner had he returned home from such a long interview at the university, when Ryo had practically jumped on him. The Wildfire bearer had begged him to log him onto the internet, to search for any power that would cause fire to come forth. So now, the two of them were in Rowen's room, with Rowen aiding Ryo in his search. Though to be more precise, Rowen had to teach Ryo had to access the internet.

As it was, Ryo had never bothered with the internet. He simply did not have time for it, and preferred to play soccer or even the Playstation 2, rather than spend hours on the internet for enjoyment purposes. Though, Ryo was a fast learner. Already he had learned that the www did not stand for wide world wresting.

After a quick half hour tutorial lesson, Rowen stood behind Ryo as he watched him. So far Ryo was entering in fire power into the search bars of the Mozilla Firefox internet browser. But so far all that came up, was information on artillery and on church revival groups, as well as a few other sites, which explained nothing at all to Ryo.

Rowen was pondering something though, as Ryo tried again and again to find what he was looking for. He knew that if Ryo found nothing within the next few minutes, he would become too impatient and therefore give up, insisting the internet was a bunch of crap which didn't have the correct information. The bearer of Strata decided to speak up before Ryo could start cussing. "Ryo, you mentioned earlier that you think someone may have the power to start fires of their own accord."

"Yeah, what about it?" Ryo asked in annoyance. He was starting to become frustrated with this thing as he scrolled through the websites provided. It didn't seem plausible how one could not be what he was looking for!

"Type in pyrokinesis, Ryo," Rowen replied as he folded his arms against his chest. He carefully spelled the word out for him, just in case if Ryo could not spell it.

Ryo rolled his eyes, not understanding the scientific word that his friend spoke. However he did type in the word and clicked enter. The internet browser produced the results and Ryo saw the first website with the captioning underneath: _was able to start fire by looking_..

"Click that link, right there," Rowen directed him. Ryo complied and the website came up. As the two Ronins stared at the screen, Ryo had learned that pyrokinesis was a mental ability that enabled a person to start or control fires just by thinking about it. Not many people had it, and those that did were rare indeed. For the next hour and a half the two of them studied all the information given about the ability. When at last they had read all they could, Ryo turned to look at Rowen, one eyebrow arched in wonderment.

"I should have known you'd have the answer to what I was looking for, Rowen. How did you know what to look for?"

"Well, to be honest," Rowen stated, "when you said you believed the fire was started by someone who had the power to do so, I remembered the word, pyrokinesis, actually means just that. Think about it: pyro which is a word understood for fire, in certain circumstances, kinesis, which means movement. Add them together and you come up with all the information on a person with the ability."

"That's amazing," Ryo smiled. "Now our only problem, is finding the one responsible for setting that building on fire. We don't know whether it was intentional or not. But if it was, then who knows what else they'll destroy?"

Rowen nodded his head as he stared at the website momentarily. "You're right. But first we need to find out who and where this person is. We can do nothing without some kind of investigation."

Ryo nodded in agreement as he exited out of the website. The moment he did, an error came up: Mozilla Firefox not responding! His eyes immediately widened with panic. "What did I do?!"

Rowen raised one brow. He couldn't help it as he wanted to laugh. Poor Ryo, he knew nothing of computers at all. "It's okay, Ryo. The program just stopped working for now. It does that sometimes." He pressed alt, ctrl, and del, and selected to close the program down.

"So, it wasn't my fault?" Ryo dared to ask.

"No, it wasn't. Man, you gotta learn to chill, Ryo." Rowen shook his head at his friend. "Anyway, let's go and tell the others what we found. I think they just pulled into the driveway just now."

By the time Kento, Cye, and Sage had entered into the house, they were barely given a chance to either change out of their wetsuits, or even shower, when Rowen and Ryo had poured the news on them. Like Mia, they had at first been confused about the distance between the two countries, and how Ryo had been affected. That is, until Rowen had told them that the cause of it had the ability of pyrokinesis. Sage and Cye understood what it meant, however Kento was a bit clueless. Once Ryo had explained it to him, he nodded in understanding.

"So, then we just look for this person and stop them from causing fires?" he asked, ignoring the fact he was dripping water onto the carpet.

"Basically," Ryo said with a nod. "Though I have no idea where to start."

"Well, I seriously doubt we could advertise this: Hi, have you been causing fires to suddenly occur just by thinking about it? If so, call this number!" Sage said, sarcastically.

They all knew he was right. The problem of finding at least one person would be extremely difficult as none of them knew where to start looking. Cye wondered if perhaps Mia's grandfather would have information on anyone with that type of power, but at the moment he did not wish to bother her, as she was still tending to laundry. Still, something had to be done. He did not know whether this person was evil or not, but whether they were or not, chances were Talpa would try to use that person for his own benefit. He looked up at the others. "I say we better start looking right away then. If we know about it, you can rest assure that Talpa does too."

Rowen nodded his head. "Cye's right. And I can bet I know what you're thinking there too. I'll ask Mia to check her grandfather's files. In the meantime, I'd say you and Kento better change."

Ryo looked down at the wet carpet and smiled just a little. "Yeah, before Mia chases you two with her broom."

"Right," Kento smirked at the two as he and Cye headed up the stairs to their room.

Sage watched them go, his mind somewhere else. He had not mentioned that, while he had been observing the students training at his father's dojo, he had a vision. It was rather a frightening vision, one he was certain to give him nightmares. He had seen a girl arguing with someone about an ingredient they were going to put into the candy that was being made. Apparently, from what the Ronin of Wisdom could tell, this ingredient was actually poison. From what Sage could see, the man had wanted to poison everyone, just so they would have to buy his special medicine in order to become well again. The next thing he saw, was the girl storming out of the office, and then out of the building, and shortly after that, as the vision continued, the girl had turned and faced the building with such an intense look of rage upon her face, as the building suddenly exploded into flames.

He shook his head, allowing himself to come back to the present time. Ryo was already going into the kitchen, and Rowen was dialing some numbers on the phone. He ran a hand through his hair. He needed a shower to cool himself down. Only then would he be able to tell the others of what he had seen that day. And so, saying nothing to anyone, he quickly headed up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Power. V 2.0**

**Chapter 2. **

Mia sighed and rubbed her temples. She could not count the number of times she had done research on this computer. Every time a strange incident came up, she was always inserting one of her grandfather's disks into the computer and cracking code after code just to access it. Though she would never voice her feelings, Mia was getting tired of all this research.

She knew that Ryo had his heart set on finding out about this person who had pyrokinesis, but what if her grandfather had nothing on it? What would she tell him then? If she knew Ryo, he'd want to go to the States and begin an immediate search for the person.

But where exactly to start? With limited information to go by, she could barely scratch the surface of this mystery. And she knew her grandfather had never spoken about anyone with special abilities, rather than the Ronin Warriors and the Warlords. Was something amiss here? She didn't know, but it would be great to find out. She was curious herself, but she felt as if she was getting nowhere.

Letting a sigh out she exited out of the program she was using and ejected the data disk. It was too bad her grandfather wasn't alive. She could have informed him about what Ryo had seen on the news. But then.. what if her grandfather was just as shocked as she was?

Rising from her chair she debated for several moments. Should she go to the university and ask questions there? Surely there could be another professor who would know about this. But then, what if there wasn't? None of the other professors had even mentioned anyone with pyrokinesis. In fact they might not even believed it existed. Sighing to herself, she shut her computer down and wandered back into the living room where she sat down on the sofa, contemplating. Perhaps she would truly make no discoveries this time.

But what would she tell Ryo? She did not wish to disappoint him. If only there was a way. A sound caught her ear and she raised her head slightly over her shoulder. Sage was coming down the stairs, seemingly lost in thought and looking slightly perturbed by something. She was silent for a while as he sat on the couch across from her, one arm resting on the arm of the couch, his hand propping his head.

Mia frowned in concentration. Of all the Ronins, Sage was the most mysterious. She barely knew his enjoyments other than meditation and Kendo. Often he kept to himself except when there was a meal or training or an outing. But she could tell something was bothering him. His behavior at the moment wasn't conventional.

She finally decided to speak. "Sage?" He lifted his head to give her his full attention. "Is something wrong?"

Sage shifted a little and let a small sigh as he did not answer right away. He thought back to what he had seen during his vision. He knew there was no mistaking it. But what would the consequences be if informed to anyone? Yet, it would be most likely be crucial he did come forth. Sitting up straight now, he opened his mouth. "Mia, I know more about what happened in America than anyone else does. And probably too much."

He had her full attention now. Was this the answer she was seeking? She remained calm on the outside, though on the inside her mind was racing. She hoped she would remember everything he was about to speak and cursed at herself for not having a notepad and pen at the ready.

"Today at the dojo a vision came to me. I could see the Jelly Bean Factory. There was a man and a girl, both discussing about something in the man's office. The subject came up concerning a new ingredient.. I could hear the word poison and medicine and money. The girl was arguing with him, but her words got nowhere with the man. She left the building. Mia, when this girl stopped and faced the building. Never before have I seen that much rage on anyone's face, other than Ryo and perhaps Talpa. At the same time she stared back at the factory it suddenly exploded into flames."

Mia's eyes were wide and her hand was to her mouth. She could feel her heart racing faster and faster with excitement and disbelief. Truly Sage had seen a remarkable, yet horrible event. If the girl truly had exploded the Jelly Bean Factory using total mind power, then there was a good excuse. Perhaps she had saved a lot of heartache if poison was to be used.

"Sage, I'm glad you told me," Mia said when she was finally able to calm down. "This helps somewhat, but I wish we had a name for this girl. At least we do know it's a girl, though."

Sage nodded his head as he brought his knees up to his chin. A thoughtful look was upon his face. "If only we knew her name."

Mia thought about that herself and wondered the possibility. What chances did they have in finding out a name? It was possible the girl kept herself hidden and did not tell anyone what power she had, for her own protection. But still…. "Is there a way we could find out?"

Sage shifted as he smoothed down his jeans and then slowly lifted his eyes to see her. "I could try meditating to see if I can find out. But there are no guarantees."

Mia nodded as she rose from her sitting position. "It's a start at least. I better go put some fresh tea on. Would you like some?"

"Yes, thank you."

Mia nodded and walked toward the kitchen as Sage remained where he was. He frowned deeply. If this girl was not found, what trouble if any, could arise? He had a feeling this was going to be quite an adventure, and no doubt a frustrating one.

By the time Rowen had gotten off the phone, he decided to head to the library. He wanted to see if he could view the microfilm and see if anything came up from San Francisco, California. He did want to help Ryo, but curiosity played a part in it as well. He had never known anyone with pyrokinesis before. Ryo had fire power, but could not call it forth until he was in his full Wildfire or Inferno armor.

Reaching the Toyama University, he went inside and headed directly to the library section. Going over to the desk, he informed the Librarian what he needed and immediately gave his ID and library card to her. He had to sign a form, and then was led to the back room. Thanking her, he took the seat at the microfilm and began to fiddle with it until it finally came on.

Scrolling through several sections, his eyes kept a sharp look out for fires. He came across several. Chicago Apartment building fire: deaths 23... Cause: faulty wiring. Japanese lab explosion.. German tank exploding… and so forth. He did not give up, but kept himself seated, continuously scrolling. Then his eyes viewed a burning house. He read the description underneath the picture.

_1990. Flames broke out at the Michaels home on Baker Street approximately 3:30 in the afternoon. Firefighters are not sure why the house would suddenly catch fire and so dangerously as well. Causes such as faulty wiring and gasoline and explosions from the furnace have been ruled out. Mr. and Mrs. Michaels do not smoke and that was ruled out as well. The family ranging from Mr. Keith Michaels, Mrs. Dawn Michaels, and their two children Jacob, age 7 and Flash age 5 all escaped unharmed. The young girl was known to be dripping sweat and even looked flush, but no harm was done. The two parents and the young boy were treated for smoke inhalation. _

Rowen came to the end and studied the photograph. The fire was huge and thick black smoke can be seen coming from it as it rose into the air and darkened the sky. Could this be what he was looking for? He quickly decided to print it out. After doing so, he fished in his pocket for a nickel and shut down the microfilm, and then headed back to the circulation desk. He showed his print and paid for it, and was handed back his ID and library card.

"Thank you," he said graciously as he took them.

"You're welcome. Have a good day," the Librarian replied in monotone.

Rowen quickly left and headed for home. Along the way, he wondered if he had found what they had been searching for. It seemed fitting that the house fire on Baker street could have been caused by pyrokinesis, as no other cause could explain it. Could this truly be the girl they were looking for? He could only hope he was right.

Reaching home he quickly entered inside and found Sage and Mia sipping tea. "Hey, where's Ryo?"

"He was in the kitchen earlier," Mia replied. "But I think he went upstairs."

Rowen nodded and immediately headed up the stairs, carrying the printout. He could barely contain his excitement as he thought about what he had discovered. He was almost positive this was the one who had the pyrokinesis and the same one who caused the destruction of the Jelly Bean Factory.

He passed Cye's and Kento's room and went directly to Ryo's. Looking into the open room he smiled upon seeing Ryo and White Blaze playing tug-o-war with one of Ryo's old shirts. It was easy to tell who would win. Ryo was strong, but the tiger was powerful. Already his strong jaws were tearing the fabric.

He cleared his throat and got their attention immediately. Ryo's face was somewhat flushed as if he had been doing this for a while. He smiled upon seeing Rowen. "Hey, Rowen, what's up?"

"This," Rowen replied as he walked into the room, holding the printout up. He handed it to Ryo and stood there in silence as the other teen looked over it.

Ryo's eyes widen as he looked at the photo, then read the description. A strange feeling came over him and he felt almost the same way he had earlier while playing soccer. He looked at Rowen and found the same serious expression in his face as before. "Do you think it could be possible?" Ryo asked him.

"I don't see why not, buddy. I thought it was rather strange myself." Rowen looked toward the printout again as Ryo looked down at it once again. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Show the others and see if they think as we do," Ryo replied. He turned to look at his tiger. "Come on, White Blaze."

The tiger followed after the two Ronins as they exited from Ryo's room. Coming to the next bedroom, Ryo tapped on the door and called through it. "Hey, Kento! Cye!"

A second later, the door opened and Kento stuck his head out. "What's up, man?

"Kento, Rowen's found some things out about the one who may have caused that fire earlier," Ryo explained, as Cye came and stood behind Kento. "We're going downstairs to discuss it with Sage and Mia."

"Well, let's go then," Cye said as he and Kento stepped through the door. The four Ronins headed downstairs and found Mia and Sage sitting in their respective spots. Seeing the news article in Ryo's hand, Sage raised his eyebrows. "Ryo, what's that?"

Ryo once again explained and laid the article upon the coffee table. Now they all had a decent look at it. Mia studied the little girl's face and frowned. Could this be the same girl Sage had seen earlier that day?

"I really do believe this is the one who has the pyrokinesis," Rowen said as he sat down next to Mia. "Now whether or not she's still alive, or even still has this power remains to be seen."

Sage was quiet at first, but something was nagging at him. He stared at the photo in the article, his heart pulsing, and feeling as if he were in a haze. Scrutinizing the little girl's face he saw the familiarity. He looked up. "I _know _this is the girl," he said at last.

He had the full attention of everyone now. It was known by all of them that Sage was capable of extraordinary things, which have helped the Ronins in the past. Case in point, the encounter of Dais fooling them into fighting one another.

Ryo came closer to Sage and sat beside him. "Sage, you had a vision, didn't you?" he asked.

Sage nodded and Ryo prodded him on. Sage began to describe what he had seen and their eyes widened, specifically; Ryo's. When he had finished, he took up his tea and took a few sips of it.

"What do you think, Ryo?" Cye asked as he looked at him.

"I believe it all matches," Ryo said. "And if the Jelly Bean factory did want to poison the people to make people buy a new drug made from pharmacists, then we should perhaps investigate the matter."

"What if the girl is in danger from doing what she did?" Kento asked, his voice laced with concern. "Someone could have found out about her. So we can't leave her there in America. And even if she does have pyrokinesis, that doesn't make her invincible."

"Kento has a point," Rowen said as he pressed his hand to his chin in deep thought.

What could they do about it though? They knew they could not stay here and not do anything, but yet could they go there, even with classes? But then, were their classes more important than a life?

"You know," Mia said, "what if a couple of you went to America? Ryo, you could go, because your element would be attracted to her power."

"Mia's right," Rowen said as he looked at Ryo again. "Your Wildfire armor may react when near her. If I'm thinking correctly, the girl's normal body temperature would be higher than a normal human being's because of the pyrokinesis."

Cye winced. "I cannot even began to think what that must feel like, especially in the summer time."

"Heh, think of it this way, dude, she may not freeze in the winter time," Kento said with a grin.

Ryo nodded in response to Mia. "It'll take a few strings to pull, but I can do it. He turned to look at Sage. "Sage, you know better than us at what she looks like now. Would you come with me?"

Sage nodded his head. "I'll come, but I'll have to let my parents and instructors know."

"I'll see about getting plane tickets ordered for you two," Rowen said as he stood up. "How soon did you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Ryo said as he stood up as well and headed for the phone. He would have to make several calls before leaving to San Francisco.

Rowen nodded and promised he would do what he could and immediately headed up the stairs to his own computer. Entering his room he sat down at his desk and turned his computer on, then logged onto the internet. Going immediately to he entered the departure and destination, the date for leaving, and how many were going. A few seconds later, he was awarded with the listings for flight departures. He studied the details and found a flight going from Toyama to San Francisco itself in two days. Other than that, no other flights were available. Clicking on that flight, he took out the Ronins' emergency credit card and entered the account number to pay for the tickets. Upon doing so, he was given instructions to print out the receipt with the information on it, and did so when prompted.

He studied the receipt in his hand, and immediately headed out of his room and downstairs. He had a feeling that this trip would be quite an experience for Ryo and Sage and he hoped nothing bad would happen to them. At least this time, neither were going alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Power V. 2.0**

**Chapter 3.**

Sage sighed as he looked out the window of the 757 Boeing. They had not yet taken off as passengers were still boarding and getting settled in. Beside him Ryo had taken the liberty to read a magazine printed in English.

It did not seem that long ago when they had made preparations for their international flight. There had been several things they had gone over, such as packing, reserving a shuttle ride to their reserved hotel, and checking the status of their green cards. The planning had gone smoothly, and Mia had driven them to the airport over three hours ago.

But Sage was not thinking of what had happened prior to the boarding. He was thinking ahead. So far he knew little of San Francisco and he was certain that Ryo did not know much either.

The door was shut and sealed tightly. The senior flight attendant went over the safety rules of the airplane and what to do in case of an emergency. She spoke briefly to those who were sitting at an exit area, requesting their help to aid other passengers should an accident happen. Electronics were to be shut off and safety belts secured against waists.

Next came the voice of the captain over the speakers. He told them how long it would be before they took off, what the weather condition was, how long they would be in the air at what altitude. The speakers clicked off, the seatbelt signed appeared, and the passengers settled back in their seats as the sounds of seatbelts were fastened.

"Exciting isn't it?" Ryo said as he glanced from the magazine to Sage.

"If you say," Sage replied dryly.

Ryo looked at him with curiosity. For a moment he was silent, wondering if something was bothering Sage. He dared to ask. "What's bothering you?"

Sage shifted a bit in his seat. "I'm thinking on how we'll find her. Even though I'd imagine San Francisco to be a big city and though we have been to big cities, we may have trouble finding her."

"Hey relax," Ryo said with a small smile. "For all we know San Francisco might be smaller than what you think it is. It could even be smaller than Toyama!"

Sage sighed as he leaned his head back. "I hope you're right, Ryo. But even if it is, we'll still have the challenge of finding her."

"Maybe she'll be in the phone book."

The engines of the plane started up. The passengers could feel the plane vibrating as it slowly taxied away from the gate. Down on the ground a man in uniform waved two orange flags before the pilot as the plane was steered toward his direction. When it was clear, the man stepped aside and brought the flags down together in a quick sweep.

The plane began to pick up speed. Passengers felt the force of gravity pushing them back against their seats, making them feel as if their bodies had been tightly strapped so that they could barely move.

Ryo glanced out the window he was sitting next to. He watched as the ground began to fall below them as the plane ascended into the sky. He looked away from the window and picked up the magazine again. The flight would be a long one and during the hours he wanted to relax.

Sage closed his eyes to relax as well. He knew the flight would be fifteen hours. They would reach the airport in San Francisco the next day at 12:00 A.M. He hoped their shuttle would be there waiting on them to take them directly to the hotel.

When the flight had leveled into the air, the seatbelt sign turned off, signaling to passengers they could unsnap their belts and move about on the plane. A few people headed to the bathroom.

Flight attendants came through the aisles pushing trolleys loaded with meals and drinks. They served the passengers a meal and drink of their choice. One flight attendant stopped at Ryo's and Sage's seats and asked what they would like to have.

"What are the choices?" Ryo asked as he looked toward her.

"We have Japanese Seafood Noodle stir-fry, Miso soup, Chicken stew, Flat fish, Beef and Potato soup, along with crackers, rice cakes, carrot and celery sticks," the attendant informed him. "For choice of drink we offer soda, green tea, and apple and orange juice."

"I'll have the Chicken stew with a few rice cakes and celery sticks and orange juice," Ryo told her.

She served him his meal of choice and provided utensils and napkins. He thanked her and prepared to eat. She looked toward Sage. "What will you have, sir?" she asked, while at the same time thinking this man was quite good looking.

"Miso soup, crackers, and green tea, please," Sage requested as he smiled at her. She smiled back and served him his choice along with utensils and napkins. He thanked her and watched her move down the aisle to serve other passengers. "She was cute," the bearer of Halo remarked.

Ryo laughed. "She smiled at you too. I think she likes you."

"I should have asked for her phone number," Sage said as he ate.

Ryo smiled as he ate too. He looked out the window and became transfixed. The clouds were so beautiful and they seemed endless. He now understood why Rowen preferred the sky over the ground. Up here it seemed quite peaceful with little no pollution. Were they above the pollution? Perhaps so, but he couldn't tell for certain. All he did know was that there was a beauty to which the ground below could not compare to.

Rowen settled onto the couch with the Japan Times newspaper. It had been four hours since he had last seen Ryo and Sage. He did not think of their flight, but rather concentrated on the news around Japan. It would give his mind something to focus on rather than spend his time wondering how things were going with his friends. He knew they would reach California by midnight tomorrow. No doubt they would not start their search until after they slept.

His eyes scanned the first article. **Endoh Asuka to open children's home in Sendai. **_Endoh Asuka who recently graduated from Chukyo University is planning to turn a vacant building on the northern part of the city into a home for children without homes. "We hope to establish a home for the children who have lost their families due to the hurricane that occurred six months ago," Endoh says. _

Rowen continued to read the article, rather impressed how the young woman wanted to help the children. He remembered the hurricane Japan had gone through. What the people hadn't realized was that he had been responsible for making the winds of the hurricane less powerful than they really were. He finished the article and turned to another page. **Chu Asaka ill with respiratory problems.** '_Why doesn't that surprise me?' _Rowen thought to himself. Asaka was one of the leaders in Japan, and was known to be a heavy smoker. It was rumored he smoked three packs of cigarettes per day and chewed tobacco. Why anyone wanted to damage their heart and lungs was beyond him.

The phone suddenly rang and Rowen answered it. "Hello? Just one minute." He stood up and carried the cordless phone with him outside where he found Kento and Cye working on Kento's motorcycle. "Kento, phone."

Kento looked up as he took a cloth and wiped off the grease from his hands. "Who is it?"

"I don't know," Rowen said. "It sounds like a girl though."

Kento brightened and hurried to Rowen. He took the phone from Rowen who returned to the house. "Hello?" Immediately his eyes brightened. "Mami! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Kento," Mami replied over the phone. "I wanted to call and see what you were up to."

"Working on my motorcycle with Cye. We've almost got it done."

"Almost have it done," Mami corrected with a giggle.

"Right, have," Kento replied with a goofy smile. "So how is work going?"

"Dragging," Mami replied. "I can't wait to get out so I can come see you."

"You want to see me?" Kento asked breathlessly.

"Why of course!" Mami exclaimed. "You're the only guy that's big enough to be lovable!"

Kento grinned again. "No argument there."

Cye continued to work on the motorcycle, tightening up a brake rotor. He did not pay attention to Kento's and Mami's conversation, but rather thought of Ryo and Sage. He wondered how their flight was going, but he did not wish to contact them via mental link. He stood up and cracked his back and looked down at his work. It was hard to believe what had happened earlier that day and what could possibly happen. He had no idea if Sage and Ryo would find the girl, and if they did whether or not she would come back to Japan with them.

Cye needed a drink. He wiped his hands on his own clothe and picked up his water filled sports bottle. He took a long drink, quenching his thirst and thought about going for another swim when he and Kento finished with the Kawasaki. He set the bottle down and turned back to the motorcycle to work on it some more.

Kento finished his call and returned to Cye. He was smiling from ear to ear. But he did not speak as he picked up a pair of pliers. He waited to see if Cye would ask why he looked so happy. The suspense was nearly overwhelming as the two Ronins worked in silence. Finally he could not wait anymore. "Aren't you going to ask me?" he inquired Cye.

Cye blinked as he looked up. "Ask you what?"

"Why I'm so happy looking!"

Cye blinked again as he studied his friend. To him Kento looked happy most of the time. Why would this time be different? But then he realized something. Kento seemed a bit more energetic than usual. "Okay, Kento, tell me."

"Mami's coming to visit me!" Kento blurted out. He could barely contain his exhilaration as he nearly dropped the pliers. He tightened his grip on the tool and kept his focus on Cye, waiting for his reaction.

Cye was astonished. "Mami is coming here?"

"That's what she said," Kento replied as he forced himself to calm down. "Man, I've not seen her in three weeks," he continued. "It'll be great to see her again."

Cye nodded his head in silence as all thoughts about swimming drifted from his mind. On the inside he wasn't so sure about Mami's upcoming visit. There was something about her that bothered him; something that Kento refused to see or even hear about.

Mia was grocery shopping. She had wanted to shop alone as it would give her some peace and quiet. She consulted her shopping list. So far she had picked up several boxes of rice, several packages of fish, a few bags of potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, two gallons of milk, two cartons of eggs, and a bag of flour. She still needed to pick up wonton noodles, chicken, vegetables, fruit, cereal, tea bags, cheese, and hamburger.

She picked up a few of the items in the aisle she was currently in and placed them into the cart. She moved onto a different aisle. Shopping was starting to become one of her favorite pastimes. It gave her a chance to think without being bombarded with concerns from one of the Ronins or more, without listening to a loud television, or without hearing the phone ring all day long.

After she had picked up every item on her list she headed to the checkout. There was a long line in each of the checkout. Sighing she chose Checkout 4 and waited her turn. The line seemed to move slowly, but she was not that impatient. Her mind drifted off, and though she moved when the line did, she could not help but think of the Mythology class she would be teaching within a few days. She wondered what new lesson she could bring up. It had to be something to get the students more interested in the class. She knew that Rowen was interested in the class, but then again, he could have been pretending to be nice. Who really knew?

The line moved up again, and Mia followed it. She went back to thinking. Perhaps she could get the students involved into making up their own mythologies. Would that peak their interest in the class? She certainly hoped so, because she was getting tired of several students who refused to pay attention.

It was her turn at the checkout. She placed the groceries on the conveyor belt and waited as the cashier rung each item up. When given the total, Mia took out her checkbook and wrote out a check. She dug for her license and handed the check and license to the cashier who checked to make sure the name on the license and the name on the check matched. He handed the license back to Mia. While the check was being processed, a bagger placed the groceries into bags. Once the cashier had finished, he handed Mia her receipt and bid her good day. Mia wished him the same and then thanked the bagger who had placed her bagged groceries into the cart.

"Do you need some help outside?" the bagger asked.

Mia smiled. "Thank you, but I can manage."

"Have a good day," the bagger said.

"Thanks. You too." Mia hurried away and left the store. She headed toward her jeep and opened the back where she placed her bags inside one by one. When she finished, she closed the back and then climbed into the front seat. She fastened her seatbelt, started the engine, checked the area for other drivers, and then pulled out of her space , drove through the parking lot, and came to the road which she carefully pulled out into, and immediately headed for home.

Cye sat on his bed as he stared toward the balcony doors. He had gone to his room awhile ago when Kento had decided they had spent enough time working on the motorcycle. Now Kento was in the bathroom readying himself for Mami's visit. He wanted to tell Kento how he felt about Mami, but he wasn't quite sure if Kento would believe him. And to think they were best friends! Kento seemed to be head over in heels with the woman that often she was the subject of Kento's conversation.

'_I wish I knew exactly what to say to him,'_ Cye thought to himself. '_She's not trust worthy. I know she isn't. I don't want my best friend to be hurt, but I don't want him used either. If only I had mentioned something to Sage before he and Ryo took off for the States.'_

Cye let out a small sigh as he continued to think about the plight he was in. Sooner or later he would need to say something. He heard a vehicle pull in and grimaced. She was here already? He stood up to have a better look. No; it wasn't Mami. Mia was home from the grocery store. Feeling relieved, Cye turned and left the bedroom. He walked down the hallway and down the stairs and directly outside where he found Mia opening the back of the jeep.

"Hi, Mia," he greeted with a smile.

"Hey there, Cye," Mia said with a smile of her own. She picked up a grocery bag. "Care to grab a few bags?"

"Sure." Cye picked up two grocery bags and followed her into the house. They deposited the bags on the counter in the kitchen.

"Where's Kento and Rowen?" Mia asked as they headed back out for more groceries.

"Oh, Rowen was in the house, but I think he went back to sleep. And Kento's in the bathroom," Cye informed her as they grabbed more bags from the jeep. He noticed Mia's look and explained. "Mami's coming over."

"Oh," was all Mia could say.

Back and forth they went between the house and the jeep until at last all the bags were inside the house. Cye and Mia unloaded the food and put them away where they belonged. As Mia folded an empty bag, she noticed Cye's troubled look. "Cye, are you okay?" she asked.

Cye looked at her as he had just put a bag of cucumbers in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. "I'm concerned," he told her truthfully.

"About what? Ryo and Sage?"

"No, not them. Kento."

Mia was astonished. She placed several boxes of rice in the cupboard as she regarded Cye. "Worried about Kento? Whatever for?"

Cye put a bag of apples and oranges into the fruit drawer as he debated on how to answer. Would she believe his feelings, or would she laugh them off? He decided to tell her anyway. "It's Mami," he said quietly. And so, he began to explain his feelings about the young woman to his female friend.

Mia listened without interrupting as they continued to put groceries away. She was glad Cye was getting this off his chest. Evidently he must have been holding it in for quite some time, because the more he spoke, the better he looked.

"So in other words," Mia said slowly, "you don't trust her."

Cye nodded as he closed the refrigerator. "Is that bad?" he asked with a grimace.

Mia did not answer right away. She took her time to think about the situation as Cye waited patiently. She had met Mami once and could not judge her critically, but then she wasn't Cye. She knew Cye's attribute had never steered him wrong. If there was something about Mami he didn't trust, he could very well be right in his critical judgment of her. She looked at him directly now. "Have you told Kento about this?"

Cye frowned as he shook his head. "I want to, but I'm not sure how he'll take it."

"It would be better to tell him, Cye. He's your best friend. If you tell him, he'll be grateful you care about him as a friend to not let him get hurt."

Cye was silent now as he thought about her words. At last he sighed and said, "I hope you're right, Mia. I'd feel terrible if I ever lost Kento as a friend."

"I'd feel bad too, but sometimes to save another from being hurt, sacrifices must be made." Mia glanced at the clock now. "I better get to the study room. I want to research that topic Rowen mentioned earlier; pyrokinesis."

Cye nodded and watched her go, then sat down at the little table. He thought about Mia's words and knew she was right. The problem he had was choosing the correct words to say to Kento.

In truth, Rowen was not asleep. He was sitting down at the dock by the lake, watching a stork dive for fish. White Blaze sat beside him watching the bird with rapt attention. The tiger's tail swished back and forth.

"It sure is peaceful out here, ain't it, boy?" Rowen murmured.

White Blaze rumbled in agreement.

Rowen smiled. Earlier he had given up on the newspaper as it seemed to contain the same type of news everyday. He had decided he wanted to get out for a bit, and after going to his room for a moment, he had gone back outside and walked the short distance to the lake. White Blaze had seen him go and had joined him. They had been at the docks for a half hour.

"I wonder how Sage and Ryo are doing?" Rowen speculated as he saw the stork rise back into the air with a fish in its beak. "They should be just about over the Pacific Ocean right now. Unless the plane is mega fast or mega slow."

White Blaze rumbled in irritation. Rowen looked at him and chuckled. The Ronin of Strata had a feeling what had upset the tiger and reached to stroke a furry ear. "Relax, boy. I'm sure Ryo would have taken you if he could. America isn't like Japan. I bet hundreds of zoos would have loved to get their hands on you."

White Blaze leaned into Rowen's strokes and rumbled with pleasure. If there was one thing the tiger enjoyed it was having his ears scratched.

Rowen smiled as he could see the tiger was happy. But he, himself, had a lot on his mind. He had a feeling Ryo and Sage might run into some trouble in America. How he wished he could have gone with them. Not only because of the possible trouble, but to also meet the very girl who had set her house on fire just by thinking about it. He wanted to know more about pyrokinesis, see it done in person. Suddenly, he grimaced. What if someone else, someone extremely evil, had found about the girl and was just waiting for the right moment? The Ronin Warriors would have to make sure that did not happen. They would have to do everything in their power to prevent such a dilemma from occurring.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Power V. 2.0**

**Chapter 4**

Mami Sato sighed to herself as she sat at her desk. She sighed wistfully as she stared at a photo of Kento and his friends. She had never told Kento her true job. In fact if Kento knew who she really was and what she worked for he would be both disappointed and angry.

Mami was not a typical girl in love. She was a businesswoman. She worked for a company that was dedicated to bringing in only the best looking men into a world of women who were looking for male companionship. And she was certain with her 5'8 frame, long pink hair, azure blue eyes, and bronze skin she would win Kento's and his friends' affection. She was certain that many women would pay her company double to get their hands on men like Kento, Sage, Cye, Rowen, and Ryo. The problem she had was approaching them with this task without making it too conspicuous.

She looked at the clock and saw her shift was nearly over. She turned back to her paperwork, deciding to finish up so she could head over to Kento's. It took her a few minutes to get the rest of her work done, but that was not unusual. After she had closed for the night, she clocked out, then went to the backroom to gather her belongings.

After she had set the alarm to the building, she quickly exited through a side door and then secured it before heading to her car. Soon she was on the road, traveling to the Koji manor where she knew Kento would be.

Kento was excited. Ever since he had first met Mami he had been walking on air. He loved the way her name sounded on his lips as he spoke of her. He loved the way she carried herself with poise and how she respected those around her. Even though he had only known her for a few months, he was in love with her. He wished he could spend more time with her, hold her against him, stroke her hair and kiss those soft full lips. But he had never come close to that. Even though Mami had made hints she was willing to accept, she would always change her position so that it could not happen. Perhaps she was shy.

Oh well. It did not matter. Sooner or later he would get her to open up. But in the meantime he would wait until she was ready. He glanced at the clock. Mami would be arriving any moment now. He looked down at himself and grimaced. He did not look presentable. He glanced at Cye who was flipping through channels on the TV

"Hey, Cye?"

Cye looked toward him, wondering what he had to say. "What is it, Kento?"

"Could you let Mami in when she gets here? I'm going upstairs to change."

Cye bit his tongue to keep himself from telling Kento what was on his mind. He knew that Kento would never believe him, and he did not feel like fighting at the moment anyway. He nodded. "Sure, Kento."

Kento grinned as he slapped Cye on the back. "Thanks, man! You're the best!"

Cye watched him hurry up the stairs and sighed to himself. He felt guilty and confused. If he was the best, then why could he not tell Kento what was on his mind?

He thought back to what Mia had told him, but wondered how to apply it. Normally Cye could trust almost anyone, but the moment he had first met Mami when Kento had introduced her about four months ago, a morbid feeling had overcome him.

At first he had decided that perhaps he was jealous. Jealous because Kento had found himself a girl and he didn't. He had tried to get to know Mami, but whenever he spoke to her out of courtesy he felt himself cringing on the inside.

If only he had some type of proof! Surely Kento would listen to reason then. He did not wish to get into a huge fight with his best friend, but the bearer of Hardrock could be stubborn, particularly when it came to a girl he was infatuated with.

And that part was true. Cye had often heard Kento sigh out Mami's name several times throughout the day. At night time when they were getting ready to sleep, all Kento did was talk about her. It had gotten to the point where Cye had been tempted to tell him to shut up and sleep.

He shook his head as he looked around the living room. It seemed very quiet now. He glanced toward the closed door off to the left of the living room and smiled a little. Mia sure loved to be in that room working on ancient myths of many kinds. In fact, after they had put the groceries away, she had went into that room immediately. He wondered when she planned to emerge again. '_Most likely at dinner time_,' he decided as he stretched his limbs.

He turned back to the television and then stopped flipping through the channels. A woman running down the street in the dark caught his attention. She was dressed in a black dress, wearing high heels, and her long emerald hair was flowing behind her. Behind her a policeman ran after her, commanding her to stop.

Cye set the remote control down, his eyes glued to the screen. This looked like an interesting movie. He watched it with fascination. He had no idea who the woman was or why she was running. What did the police officer want her for? Had she commit some type of crime? If not, was she being accused of a crime? He was determined to find out, even if he had missed the beginning of it. What was the name to this movie? Oh. Eternal Flight.

He heard a car suddenly pull in and looked out the window. He suppressed a groan when he recognized the vehicle and the person getting out of the car. Why now?

Kento frowned deeply as he changed his clothes. Something was wrong with Cye. He could sense it. But why was Cye holding back from him? Come to think of it, he had been acting funny ever since he had spoken to Mami on the phone while they worked on his KLE 500. Was Cye jealous of Mami?

Kento scoffed. Of course not. Cye would be happy for him. But then why did Cye's behavior change any time Mami became involved? He sighed as he looked into his mirror. He looked presentable now. He heard a car pull into the driveway. She was here.

Mami stepped toward the door and knocked lightly. She heard someone shuffling forward as if they did not want to open the door. But at last it opened. She smiled warmly. "Hello, Cye."

"Hello," Cye replied as politely as he could. He opened the door further to allow her in and showed her into the living room.

Mami looked around and then took a seat on the sofa. "Where is Kento?" she asked.

"Upstairs," Cye replied as he sat down. Normally he was not rude and short with his answers, but he could not help the way he felt. He wanted to tell Mami exactly what was on his mind. But the problem he had was that he couldn't.

Kento came downstairs just then. He gave a big smile to Mami and embraced her as she stood up. They failed to notice Cye's distasteful look. "Mami! I'm so glad you could come and visit me," the bearer of Hardrock exclaimed as he joined her on the sofa. "How has work been for you?"

"Work has been interesting to say the least," Mami answered with a smile. She wondered how to start the conversation without piquing too much discomfort. She still wasn't entirely sure whether Kento would agree to the idea. But somehow she would figure out the exact words to say to him.

She looked around. Besides Kento and Cye in the living room the place looked empty and silent. She was used to seeing all five guys in the house with their hostess. She looked back at Kento. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, Rowen went out with White Blaze. You remember, he's Ryo's tiger? Ryo and Sage took a business trip to North America. And I'm not sure where Mia is. Might be in her study," Kento told her. He continued to stare at her as he smiled. To him she looked so beautiful. He was willing to bet that someone could paint a portrait of her and that it would not even come close to the real beauty.

"I see."

Cye was feeling frustrated. He needed to speak up, but how? What could he say? He knew there would be an argument, and he was dreading that. But at times one could not always avoid what they feared the most. The more he studied Mami, the more he knew he would have to tell Kento whether he liked it or not.

Rowen stretched and yawned. He looked at White Blaze who stared intently across the lake. At times he could swear what the tiger was thinking, but at other times it remained a mystery to him. He wondered if perhaps the tiger was missing Ryo. But then again could he be thinking of going hunting? It was hard to tell.

Rowen stood up and stretched again. "Come on, White Blaze. Let's get back to the house and see if we can find some food. I bet you're hungry anyway."

White Blaze stood up and stared at him as he rumbled in reply. His brown eyes bore into Rowen's blue ones until finally the Ronin of Strata turned and headed back to the house. There was one thing Rowen could never figure out. Why did White Blaze have brown eyes instead of blue? It made no sense to him. But he supposed it was nothing to worry about. After all White Blaze was special in his own way. He couldn't wait to hear from Ryo and Sage. Perhaps he could ask Ryo about White Blaze.

Rowen sighed as the manor came into view, but then he suddenly stopped short. There was a car parked there. He looked closer and recognized it. Kento was probably having the time of his life at this very moment. He made it to the house and went inside.

Cye was the first to notice him. "Hey, Rowen."

Kento stopped talking to Mami and smiled at his blue haired friend. "Hey, man! How's it going?"

Mami turned her head ever so slightly to Rowen's direction and smiled. "Hello, Rowen."

"Hi, guys," Rowen greeted. He nodded his head toward Mami's direction. "Hello, Mami. Have you been here long?"

"I've only arrived about fifteen minutes ago," she informed him as she reached out a hand to pet White Blaze. But to her surprise the tiger suddenly pulled back and growled at her.

Kento and Rowen frowned as Mami pulled her hand back, her eyes a little wide. The tiger gave the young woman a menacing look as he turned and walked over to Cye and sat down beside him.

"White Blaze never acted that way before," Kento said with a thoughtful frown.

"It might be because Ryo's not here," Rowen suggested logically.

Mami sighed a little. "Or maybe he doesn't like me." She had not failed to notice the tiger's glare toward her.

Cye was petting White Blaze as he heard Mami. "_He knows a liar when he sees one,"_ he thought to himself.

Rowen turned his attention back to Kento and Mami. "So Mami, how is everything?"

"It's going good!" she exclaimed. "In fact, I wanted to ask a favor of you all." She took a deep breath and told herself the plan she had in mind just had to work. She had been thinking about it while talking with Kento and now she couldn't wait to try it out. She could only hope they would believe her.

"Sure. Ask us anything," Kento told her with a smile.

"Are you certain?"

"No harm ever came from someone asking a question," Rowen replied.

"Well, okay. In my job I sponsor models for men's clothing. Now we do have our top of the line models, but the problem is a few of them can't wear some of the clothes that were designed just recently."

"Modeling clothes, eh?" Rowen said with a frown. "I thought you worked at one of those interior decorating buildings."

Mami laughed. "Oh no. I used to work at one of those places. But that was several years ago. I prefer overseeing male modeling. I like to help men look their best and put the latest fashions in male wear out on the market."

Cye glowered. He could tell she was lying, and so far his two friends seemed to be falling for it. He could not stand this anymore. He glared at Mami as his eyes narrowed with anger. "How dare you!"

Silence hit the room as all three turned to look at Cye. Rowen frowned deeply, but wondered if Cye had thought something was off a bit. Kento was starting to become angry, but counted under his breath. He would not defend Mami without letting her first defend herself. He didn't want to seem overprotective of her. Mami stared at Cye with shock, not expecting an outburst from him. Usually he was so quiet around her.

She cleared her throat and gave him her full attention as she forced herself to remain professional. "How dare I what, Cye?" she asked calmly.

"You know what I'm talking about," Cye retorted. "You claim you work for a modeling company in Japan for male models. When in fact you do not work there at all. And how do I know this? Because I have a sister who has a friend who actually does work in the modeling business and she knows every single modeling company in Japan as she oversees them all. Never once has this friend mentioned your name to my sister. And my sister has heard your name plenty of times before."

"Cye, I'm not exactly on high profile with the rest of the staff," Mami explained, hoping this would make him back down.

"You should be," Cye shot back. "Especially with the manager who is in fact my sister's friend."

"Cye, there are many managers to the modeling business," Mami replied coolly.

"Cye, just drop it," Kento said quietly.

"But, Kento!" Cye protested as his head snapped over toward him.

"I said drop it!" Kento raised his voice at him as he glared. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I know she's lying!" Cye disputed. "She's not a modeling agent! She's keeping something from you that could possibly ruin your reputation!"

"That's bull!" Kento snapped. "Mami would never do anything rash to jeopardize our status. Personally, I think you're jealous. Jealous because I've found someone who likes me for me, and you didn't."

Cye couldn't believe his ears. This was not how this was suppose to go. He leapt from his chair and suddenly ran to the door, threw it open, and ran outside. White Blaze immediately followed him as the Ronin took off down the long driveway.

Rowen watched Cye go as he frowned deeply. He wondered if he had some valid points concerning Mami. He decided he would do his own investigation concerning this matter.

Sage sighed a little as he leaned back in his seat. He had no clue how long he and Ryo had been on the plane. He checked his watch and discovered it was close to 6:00 p.m. That meant it would be about 2:00 p.m. in San Francisco. He looked out the window. The sun was a dark golden color. Soon it would set and dusk would be upon them. He shifted somewhat.

Ryo glanced at Sage. "Hey, you okay?"

"I guess I'm uneasy," Sage replied. "We have no idea what we're going to find in California. I'm also worried about the hotel arrangements."

"Relax. I'm sure everything will be fine. We'll get to our hotel and we'll have our room," Ryo assured him.

Sage stared at him and then slowly smiled. He nodded his head. "You're right, Ryo. I'm probably worrying for nothing." His ears then caught a snide mutter coming from a man sitting across the aisle from them. Both Ronins turned their heads to look at the man who gave them disapproving looks while muttering the word, 'Faggots'. Sage was shocked.

Ryo's temper got the better of him as he retorted back to the man. "Excuse me! We are not gay!"

"That's right," Sage said calmly as his visible eye trained on the man with such intensity the man was forced to look away. "We are friends, almost brothers."

"Besides even if we were gay," Ryo continued, "it sure isn't your business anyway. You should learn to keep your rude comments to yourself and to accept those who are different than you. You'll feel better in the long run."

The man said nothing in return.

Ryo turned back in his sleep as a flight attendant approached them. "Is everything all right here?" she asked.

"We're perfectly fine," Sage told her with a calm smile.

"Yeah," Ryo said as he forced himself to calm down. He strongly disliked it when others judged someone based on the way they looked, behaved, or even what they believed in.

The flight attendant nodded her head and told them to press the call button if they needed anything. She left them alone to tend to other passengers.

Sage looked at Ryo. "Are you okay?"

Ryo snorted as he leaned his head back. "I'll be fine, Sage."

Sage shook his head ruefully and smiled at his friend. "Ryo, don't let him get to you. You don't want it getting in the way of our mission."

"That's for sure."

Sage leaned back against his seat and allowed his eyes to close. He started to relax and debated if he should meditate. He thought it was a good idea and allowed his mind and body to both relax. Normally, Sage would meditate in the traditional way, but with his current arrangement, he couldn't very well cross his legs. For now this would have to do.

Ryo glanced at him and smiled a little. Leave it to Sage to meditate anywhere. He reached under his seat and grabbed his carry on and opened it up. Finding his Walkman, he grabbed it and stuck the headphones on and then turned the portable mini size stereo on. Music flowed through his ears as he zipped up his carry on and pushed it under the seat again. He leaned back in content and closed his eyes.

The airplane continued on its course flying over the ocean as it headed toward its destination. The sun was sinking lower as the sky became filled with dark orange, reds, and dark blues. The cabins of the airplane began to darken slightly, and some passengers were beginning to turn their lights on. In six hours Ryo and Sage would find themselves at their destination.

Across the world in the city of San Francisco, a female teenager briskly walked up the long sidewalk as she headed for home. She was quiet as she reflected on the past few days. She thought about the fire in the jelly bean factory and had been relieved to learn there had been no deaths. She was gaining control of her power and that was good.

But still she knew she needed to gain more control. Even now she could feel it wanting to come out and it scared her. She could not lose control. The last time she lost control several people lost their lives and she had felt guilt and despair ever since.

She made it up the sidewalk, glad to have gotten up the incline of it. She was nearly home and she would be glad to get there. She felt hungry too and wondered what she could make to eat. There was plenty of food, but sometimes she wasn't sure what she wanted from one day to the next. Perhaps she'd settle on Rigatoni for the day. Pasta was always good.

As she walked past a newspaper vending machine, she caught a glimpse of the front page and stiffened. There in bold letters was: **Fire Marshal to do an investigation in the Jelly Bean factory fire with world renown psychic Marcus Klent to aid in the assistance. **

She stiffened. She knew at times psychics were able to see things no one else could, and she had a feeling this one might seek her out. She had to learn more of this. Digging into her jeans pocket she fished out some coins and purchased the newspaper. Tucking it safely in her hand, she ran for home.

A/N: To Taz. Normally I do not write direct responses, but since you had decided to keep your email hidden, I have no choice. I did not state too much detail concerning Mami, because that would be giving it away too fast, particularly if I did it all in the same chapter. Good character development takes time, and if it's all thrown in at once, it can be frustrating to readers.

As for the frame by frame parts, there was a simple reason for that as well. It was to make the chapters more realistic. Too little detail about what is going on around the characters, predominantly in a place of activity, would be boring. You'll find that I write in various ways to make everything come together in one smooth flow.

I do however thank you humbly for reviewing and for critiquing.


	5. Chapter 5

The Power V 2.0

Chapter 5.

Cye had run deep into the forest behind the manor. Hot angry tears ran down his cheeks as his mind replayed the argument he and Kento had. Why couldn't Kento see it for himself? Why would he believe Mami over his own best friend?

Cye pushed past thick foliage as his feet slapped angrily against the ground. Everything was a blur as he sped by. Perhaps he was losing Kento as a friend. That hurt deeply. He brushed tears from his eyes as he continued running.

He came to a hill and skidded down it, dust kicking up as he did so. When he hit bottom, he came to a stand still and stared forlornly at the creek. He walked toward it and sat down by it.

'_I can't believe Kento is that blind. He's spoken with my sister lots of time, and he knows she never mentioned about Mami working there. My sister has a big mouth at times. So why can't Kento see that Mami is lying?' _

Cye continued to stare at the creek as he tried to allow nature to calm him. It felt lonely and he wished it had been him who had gone off to America with Sage and Ryo. He knew it was selfish, and truly he did not mean to be that way. But there were times when a person felt so frustrated that all rationality went out the door.

There had to be a way to convince Kento to see the truth, but that was going to prove most difficult. While Kento was far from stupid, he was very stubborn and adamant in his beliefs. But somehow Cye would make him see, even if he had to beat it into him.

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'_That little twit,_' Mami thought to herself angrily. On the outside she poised a look of regret as if she had been deeply hurt by Cye's accusation. She looked at Kento with a melancholy look as she placed her hands on his thighs. "Kento, why does Cye hate me so much?"

Kento sighed as he held her close to him. "I don't know, Mami. I think he's just jealous. He and I are best friends, and we used to spend a lot of time together. But he has to understand that I can't be having fun with him all the time. I have my priorities."

Rowen listened in silence as he watched the two. Even though he did not know Cye as well as Kento, he was positive that Cye wouldn't be upset over a ridiculous reason. In fact, it had been proven to him when he had witnessed White Blaze's behavior. And now the tiger had gone after the Ronin of Torrent.

Rowen came to a decision as he rose to his feet. "I'll be back in a little while. I'm going to check on Mia."

"Sure thing, Rowen." Kento half glanced at him as he continued to hold Mami to him. Mami looked toward Rowen and nodded her head. Rowen left the room, leaving the two alone and headed to Mia's study room. He hoped she would allow him to borrow the computer just long enough to look up what he needed.

Back in the living room, Mami sighed. Soon she would have Kento in her grasp and possibly Rowen too. She wasn't too sure about Sage and Ryo as they had left the country on some mission. And Cye… Cye. Something had to be done about him, or he would ruin everything.

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Ryo studied the hotel room. He and Sage had arrived in San Francisco about an hour ago, and it had been a nightmare trying to catch a taxi to their registered hotel. The taxi driver had done his best to take them as far as he could, but eventually due to a traffic jam the two visitors had been forced to walk through the crowds until they reached the hotel. After another wait to get checked in, they had finally made it. He pressed his lips together. The hotel was homey. Two beds. Two stands. A television. One bathroom. A small dinette area. A telephone. At least the room wasn't lacking.

"Well, we made it safe and sound at least," Sage said as he chose a bed on the right.

"Yeah, we can be grateful for that, Ryo said. "Seems a bit dull though."

"There's a swimming pool here," Sage pointed out as a reminder.

"True, but I doubt we'll find time to swim." Ryo sat down on the other bed and faced his friend. "So, any idea how to start searching for this girl? I know you meditated on the plane. Did you see anything?"

Sage thought back to his mediation with a frown. He had seen something, but was it enough to make a start? He looked at Ryo. "A bit," he replied. "There was that same girl I saw in my previous meditation. She seemed to be struggling in a way. I couldn't tell from what though."

"Hrm," Ryo murmured as he shifted his position on the bed. "Okay, here's what we'll do. We'll call home and let everyone know we made it here safe. We'll get some sleep and then later we'll start our search. If my hunch is correct, this girl could be in danger tonight."

Sage nodded his head and picked up the phone. Using a calling card, he made an international call and while it rang repeatedly on the other end, waited for someone to pick up.

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Kento groaned the moment the phone started ringing. Why did people always have to interrupt his most important time? He inwardly grumbled, but looked at Mami apologetically. "Sorry, I better get this."

Mami giggled and pushed him away. "Then answer it, Kento. Don't keep them waiting."

Kento turned and answered the phone on the fifth ring. "Hello? Oh, hi there, Sage. Good to hear you two made it to America safe and sound." He became quiet as he allowed Sage to speak. His hand reached out and held Mami's hand in a warm grip. "Yeah. So you guys are gonna search tonight? Why not right now? Oh right, jet lag."

The conversation continued on. Mami half listened, but was feeling the urge to leave. She wouldn't doubt that Cye was on the verge of getting his proof. She had to find him and stop him for good.

She tapped Kento's arm to gain his attention, and when he turned to look at her, she smiled sweetly. "Kento honey, I'm sorry. But I must go. Work wants me to come in early tomorrow."

Kento pouted, but nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Mami smiled and nodded. "But of course! And perhaps we can talk more about that job offer too."

Kento smiled. "I'd like that. See you tomorrow." He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but one, the phone was against his ear, and two Mami had swiftly risen to her feet. Well, he could at least show her to the door. He stood up and followed her as Sage's voice came over the receiver. "What? Oh, sorry, Sage. Yeah. I'm just showing Mami out."

He opened the door for Mami and allowed her out, then bid good bye once more. Mami headed to her car as Kento closed the door, then watched her from the window. "Yeah, Sage. Well, when you guys do find her, you might want to call back and let us know. Yeah, ok. Talk at you later then. Bye."

Kento hung up as Mami pulled out of the driveway. He sighed as he felt bad. Even though Mami had told him her reason for leaving, he felt she had left because of his lack of attention in her. He would have to make it up to her. Maybe tomorrow in fact.

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Sage hung up from Kento and stretched a bit. "Well, that's done," he announced as he turned to look back at Ryo. He blinked. Eh? "Ryo?" he called. Ryo was lying on his side with his arms crossed against his chest, one fist held to his lips. He smiled a bit. Jet lag could sneak up on you unsuspectingly and Ryo had welcomed sleep with open arms.

Fatigue suddenly gripped him too. He yawned as he lied down on his back and closed his eyes. Sleep sounded very good to him. Soon, he was fast asleep.

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The girl shivered as she lied on the couch within the big mansion. She felt alone, and for the first time afraid. Only days before, her father, stepmother, and two younger siblings Sammy and Cammy had all gone away to England for two weeks for a vacation. She had declined in going, insisting she wanted to stick to her school schedule. She was a junior in high school, and so far this year she actually had zero days absent. Although she wanted to stick with it, that wasn't her exact reason for staying behind.

The sole manager of the Jelly Bean Factory had been a major problem, and although she thwarted his plans temporarily, somewhere he was rebuilding them. But how to stop him? It wasn't like the police would listen to her. Well, maybe a few of them would. She had almost forgotten that two of them had been her brother's friends. She smiled. Drake and Todd. She had first met them at Jacob's birthday party at ten years old. A year later when Jacob and their mother had been killed, she met them again. Perhaps this time, meeting with them once more would help her out.

She shivered again. She wasn't cold, but rather the loneliness was a bit of a bother. All her other friends, T-boz, Shades, Chilie, Scorpio, Thunder, Snow, and Ice had left for reasons of their own. She didn't pursue the issue, and she didn't want them to think that she, their leader, couldn't handle this problem.

Her eyes darted to the open newspaper lying on the coffee table before her. She still felt concerned about the psychic and wondered how she could avoid his detection. It wouldn't be easy as she did not know how to lower her spiritual pressure. Then again, maybe and hopefully this psychic was a fake. At least she hoped he was. But if not, then she could very well find her life spinning down the drain.

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Mia stood behind Rowen as she watched him work his magic on the computer screen. She had been surprised at Rowen's request to use the computer, but after hearing his reasoning readily agreed to it.

"So you think Cye might have a point with Mami?" Mia asked.

"Yes, as strange as it sounds," Rowen answered. "He went about it the wrong way, and that's probably why Kento doesn't believe him. But I saw White Blaze growl at her. And we all know he never growls at anyone unless they're dark in some way."

"You don't think she could be from the Dynasty?" Mia asked.

"If she was, she'd have some type of power I'd assume. And Sage would have sensed it first."

Mia shook her head ruefully. "That's true." She continued watching Rowen search for the information on the web. He checked out modeling agencies for males and ran every data available pertaining to those who lead them. Mami's name never showed up, and he furrowed his brows. He continued to search, but nothing came up within those firms.

He bit his bottom lip. "Hey, Mia, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Call the modeling agencies around town. And those in nearby cities. Ask them if they have a Mami Sato working for them."

Mia nodded her head and picked up her cell phone and grabbed a phone book. She made the calls, but each modeling agency gave the same answer. She thanked them and hung up to try a new one. It was the same answer.

Rowen yawned as he cracked his back. This search was proving more difficult than he had first thought. But he always did like a challenge. He decided to try a new approach, and randomly typed in Mami's full name in the search bar and hit enter. After a few microseconds, he was rewarded with thousands of search results. He scanned through the useless stuff, going page after page on Google. And then he found what he was looking for. A message board with Mami Sato as the main topic. He clicked and gained access to the board.

Rowen's eyes trailed the list of topics until he found one that might hold the information and clicked it open. He was brought to a new page with a range of threads. The first thread was titled: Don't Let Mami Sato Fool You. His eyes lit up.

Mia at last hung up and sighed as she looked at Rowen. "Well, Cye was right. Mami isn't employed at any modeling agency."

"I should have figured that," Rowen said with a slight scowl. He cleared his throat and beckoned her to look at the screen. "Take a look at this. It seems she's not only duped Kento, but someone else too."

Mia peered at the screen as Rowen clicked the thread open.

From ZorgMan101: Hey gang. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up about dis woman. She calls herself Mami. She be playing everyone. She dangerous. She lures good looking men and sells them for human trafficking.

Reply from Zimma: What? Are you kidding me? Man, that's bad news. Thanks, Zorg. Any pic of her though?

Reply from ZorgMan101: Yeah, here it is. Just click on the link there.

Rowen did just that and a second window appeared. A picture began to come into view as he and Mia held their breaths. The picture continued to load, but it was a bit slow. Rowen silently urged it to quicken its pace, and after a few minutes he was rewarded his wish.

In front of their very eyes, a picture of Mami Sato greeted them.

"Rowen," Mia whispered in shock.

"I know. I don't want to believe it either," Rowen answered with a deep frown. "It looks like Kento was wrong, and that Cye was right."

Mia felt her heart drop. She felt bad for Kento, but she knew he would need to learn the truth, even if he detested it. It was sad that his heart had been played by a woman who pretended to care about him. It wasn't right, and it made her angry.

Suddenly Rowen gasped as he leaped to his feet. She looked at him in alarm. "Rowen, what is it?"

"I just remembered that Cye took off by himself earlier," Rowen stated frantically as he pushed himself away from the chair. "I need to find him and fast."

"Then go, Rowen. And I'll tell Kento about Mami."

Rowen nodded as he summoned his subarmor. He sped out the side door and took off across the yard at an amazing speed. '_Armor of Strata, lead me to Cye,_' he thought desperately as he headed to the woods, hoping he would arrive on time to save Cye.

Mia hugged herself and shivered. Telling Kento was not going to be easy. Still, she wasn't going to get anywhere by just standing there. She left the study and went in search of the Ronin of Hardrock.

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A/N: This is another one of my fanfics that I am slow at updating. Heh. At any rate, this one is going to be a challenge. I have totally revised it from the original The Power. This one is a bit darker. I also want you to know that if these chapters seem a tad too fast, it is because I plan to end this fanfic at ten or fifteen chapters. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this story as it develops.


	6. Chapter 6

The Power V2.0

Chapter 6.

Cye sobbed into his knees as he sat on the embankment before the running creek. Why wouldn't Kento believe him? Mami was lying to them all, making her dangerous. But how could he get Kento to realize that? The bearer of Hardrock was far too stubborn, and if he couldn't believe the Ronin Warrior of Trust, then _who_ would he believe?

_'I wish Mami had never come into our lives,' _Cye bitterly thought to himself. It would have made things much simpler, and he and Kento wouldn't be fighting. He was beginning to wish that Ryo and Sage were back. He was positive they would believe his feelings about Mami.

Cye picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the water. He watched it sink to the bottom and let out a deep sigh. Depression was a terrible feeling.

"Yes, Ako, that is exactly what I am saying," Mami said into her cell phone as she drove down the freeway. "I want you to find him and get him out of the way. No, don't kill him. We can make money off him."

Mami signaled and turned right onto an exit that took her off the freeway. As she drove up the ramp, she felt rather giddy. So far, her plan to make it rich by trafficking the handsome boys at Mia's place, was in full swing.

Concern lingered though. She knew these boys would be difficult to persuade and no doubt would put up a fight. Particularly Ryo and Sage. She had often seen them train, with sweat glistening off their muscular bodies, every sinew flexing forth. She had watched Kento train too, but in all honesty, she wasn't that attracted to him. Ryo was the one she really wanted. His long black hair, those piercing blue eyes, that six pack figure and tight torso muscles.

Still, she had to be careful. Her boss wanted to put all five of the boys out on the market, to bring in more money than any trafficker deemed possible. It was just too bad Sage and Ryo left the country. But they would be back. In the meantime, she would take down the other three one by one.

_'I hope Kossori does not screw this up_,' she thought as she stopped at a red traffic light

Sage glanced at the signs above his and Ryo's heads as they stood on Market Street. Buildings stood tall and short before and behind them and traffic was on the run. The city was alive, even at this hour. Sage glanced at Ryo. "Any idea where to start?" he asked.

"Heh, not really." Ryo shrugged as he looked this way and that.

"Can't you use your fire power to track her down?" Sage asked. "One would think that since your armor is Wildfire, it would sense fire power from any one."

"I think it only comes on when someone is using fire."

"Typical."

"You got that right."

The two Ronins headed down the street, walking briskly. Their eyes darted to crowds of people going about on feet, and now and then they watched the traffic go by. People milled about around them, and Sage thought he felt a hand sneak into his back pocket when a man walked by him. He quickly grabbed the wrist, getting a surprise gasp.

"You shouldn't rob people due to your misfortune," Sage calmly said and released him. The man could only stare as the two boys walked on.

Ryo sighed. "This girl is certainly tough to find."

"No kidding, Sage agreed. I hate to say this, but I feel hungry."

"Me too," Ryo said and looked about. "Let's find a place to get some chow and well continue our search."

Sage nodded and the two headed down the street, seeking for a place to eat. At first they weren't quite sure where to go to eat as everything looked either too fancy and expensive or too greasy. Their American dollars they had received in exchanged for their Yen would provide them enough money for lodging and bus or taxi fare, and some city eating, but it was best to be vigilant on the amount of money they were spending.

After they had passed by several more restaurants, Sage had had enough and spoke to a pedestrian. "Excuse me, sir. What restaurant would you recommend to any person looking for a place to eat?"

"Well, I'd have to say the Mijita Cocina Mexicana restaurant," the man said with a smile. "They serve delicious food and the staff are very friendly. You should try it."

"Where can we find it?" Ryo asked.

"You can find it in the Financial District," the man answered. "The address is 1 Ferry Building. You can't miss it."

"We're not from here to be honest," Sage admitted. "How do we get to Ferry Building?"

The man gave them directions and they thanked him and set off. It took them a half hour to reach the restaurant.

Mijita Cocina Mexicana restaurant was a nice restaurant that served up Mexican food. Though Ryo and Sage had never tried Mexican food, they were delighted to sit down and enjoy a taco de pescado and a taco de carnitas complete with a beverage of their choice. And the man had been correct. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but yet gave them space in which to enjoy their meal.

"You know," Ryo said after a few minutes, "this taco de carnitas isn't that bad. It's actually quite good."

"Mine seems a bit spicy," Sage said as he drank more of his beverage than ate. "I think my tongue is tingling."

Ryo laughed a bit and the two continued their meal. San Francisco seemed to be a nice place, with tall trees and up and down hills. The neighborhood houses seemed to be close together, and there seemed to be so much to do. Amusement was on every corner, and they were shocked to see people holding signs asking for money and claiming they would work for beer, drugs, and what not.

It was a very sad life that both Ronins could see, and worse yet Sage felt that there was no honor within this city. If his grandfather were to see this, he would either cry or start a scene by telling those with the signs they needed to become more than just useless human beings who had no other purpose but to waste their lives away.

It was disgusting in Sage's opinion.

After their meal, the two Ronins left the restaurant and made their way down a main street toward the inner city itself. Here there were a grocery store, a bank, and a post office. Never had Ryo seen so many people hustling about in their goal to get to their target locations. People shoved past one another, a man was almost hit by a speeding driver, the pedestrians crowded one another, scarcely giving elbow room.

"I'm glad Kento didn't decide to come with us," Sage said softly as his eyes widened at the spectacle.

"Yeah, you're right." Ryo shuddered to think of how Kento might have reacted to the hostility of this city, the rudeness of its citizen. He could already see the bearer of Hardrock standing on top of the bank's roof and shouting out his cries of injustice of rudeness and unfairness. Even Ryo had to admit that Kento took the justice thing too far and far too often.

As they crossed the street, Sage suddenly froze when a terrible feeling overcame him. He gasped, wide-eyed as his kanji lit up on his forehead. A man tripped into him, having not stopped in time when Sage abruptly stopped, and cursed Sage before Ryo chased him away with a look.

Ryo turned back to Sage. "Sage, what's up?" he asked in concern.

Sages eyes quivered as he forced himself to refocus on Ryo, a task he considered a bit difficult. He shook his head. "A bad feeling, Ryo. I can't explain it, but I feel like someone is about to get hurt or worse."

"Can you pinpoint out who?" Ryo asked.

Sage became silent and focused himself into a distant time and place. People walked around them, traffic continued on as always as the two Ronins remained there on the corner of the sidewalk.

Sage frowned as his face paled. "It's Cye."

And they were suddenly rushing to find a suitable access point for Sage's cell phone.

Kossori Ako was many things that he considered, but when it came to illegal activities such as kidnapping and trafficking, he felt ill. It wasn't enough that _she_ had to be satisfied with making money, using her manipulative ways to get what she wanted, and he could not fathom her sick reason for pretending to be what she wasn't.

And why couldn't that idiot see through her? Even his friend could! But no, she had him wrapped around her little pinky finger, doing whatever he bid her, even coughing up money to give her whenever she put on that pouting face.

It was downright disgusting.

And to think he had to snatch Cye, a friend of Kento. He felt sick to his stomach again as he watched the young man who had not since moved from the creek. Did he have to do this? A tightening pain wretched his gut, and he considered backing off and telling Mami he hadn't found Cye.

He realized the implications, and Mami would eventually see Cye out and about any way. This was truly difficult. Well, maybe he could at least help protect Cye until something could be done about Mami. He hoped at least.

He painstakingly loaded the gun with a tranquilizer dart, snapped it into place and took aim. The exploding shot frightened a group of birds away and sent insects buzzing about crazily. Regret in his eyes, he approached the unconscious young man and knelt down next to him.

"I hope you will forgive me some day," he said. He lifted Cye and carried him away.

"What do you mean Cye's gone? Kento demanded as he snatched Rowen closer toward him, his fist seizing Rowens shirt.

"Kento, let go of me now," Rowen ordered as he tore free. Why was Kento always so quick to strike without thinking anything through? Why couldn't he just shut up and listen for a minute? It was enough to drive Rowen crazy and he regretted even telling Kento the way he had.

"Then tell me what happened to Cye!" Kento demanded, his fists clenched tightly at his side.

"Sage and Ryo called," Rowen explained. "Sage had a weird feeling about Cye, and when Mia and I went to check on him, he was gone."

Kento shook his head, unable to think straight. Now that he thought about it, he could barely feel a slight uncomfortable feeling that tugged at his conscience. Before he realized it, he grabbed Rowen by the shoulders. "We have to find him, Rowen!"

"Easy, Kento, we will," Rowen said as he gently pulled Kento's hands off him. "Come on, well ride with Mia in the jeep."  
He turned and walked out, and Kento, taking a deep breath, followed. Reaching the waiting jeep, he climbed into the back and fastened his seat belt. "So any idea where to start looking?" he asked.

"Not really," Mia admitted, pulling into gear. She drove away from the manor and glanced at Kento through the rear view mirror, sympathizing with him, before looking at Rowen. "Did Sage give any other hints?"

"No, only that it was dark, hot and stuffy," Rowen said. "So we need to check places that are like that."

"Man, it's going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Kento grumbled. "Just how are we supposed to check every place that is dark, hot and stuffy any way?"

"We're Ronin Warriors, Kento," Rowen reminded him with a glance back. "We can't let the hopelessness of the situation keep us from finding Cye, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," Kento said as he crossed his arms over his torso. "Still, this would be much easier if we had Ryo and Sage with us."

"I agree with you, buddy," Rowen said with a nod. "But right now, we have to rely on our own strength and skills. We can do it. We'll find Cye."

Kento sighed and leaned back against the seat as the jeep zoomed along the winding highway through the forest. _'I hope you're right, Rowen,' _he thought to himself. If anything happened to Cye, he would never forgive himself.

Authors Note: So, its been a long time since Ive contributed anything to . The reason why is because I had actually gotten somewhat bored with fanfiction, and took a hiatus from it. This gave me time to finish my Warriors sequel and post it up on Smashwords, and on Amazon Kindle while I seek out an actual literary agent for it. I won't promise to be back in full swing, but I did manage to write this chapter. It's probably dry, but that's because I'm just now getting back into it. We'll see how things go from here. Ciao for now. (I also hope my quotations and apostrophes stick this time. )

~Firestorm


	7. Chapter 7

The Power

V2.0

Chapter 7

"Unnnnn."

"So you're awake."

Cye opened his eyes as the voice cut through his senses bringing an uneasy feeling that something wasn't right. He couldn't move and his head pounded like he had been blasted away by one of Kento's Hard Rock Crusher attacks. Trying to lift his head up was a dubious task and the pressure refused to go away. All he could do was stare at the black boots standing before him before lifting his eyes upward to the wearer. He frowned incomprehensively.

"Kossori?" he slurred.

Ako walked toward him and knelt down, placing one hand on Cye's arm. He had tied the Ronin to a chair, binding his wrists to the arms and his ankles to the bottom frame. Inwardly he berated himself. Why not let the boy go and say he escaped? Or better yet, why not go tell Kento what was going on? Kento did have the right to have his damn eyes opened, even if it meant tearing off his fake relationship with Mami.

The sad thing about it was that Kento was too stubborn and too blind to see that his relationship _was _a sham. Mami did not love him. She only saw him and the rest of the Ronins as money making objects. Women in high societies paid good money for a good time with an attractive man at her beck and call. And she was playing down right dirty to fool him toward it.

At least Cye had been suspicious from the start.

"Cye, I am terribly sorry we are meeting again in these circumstances," Ako said regrettably.

"Why did you bring me here?" Cye asked. "And more importantly why?"

Ako sighed and stood up straighter, ruffling his hand through his black tangled hair. "It wasn't like I wanted to," he confessed. "But I had an order above orders to do whatever was necessary. One thing, Cye, is that I also do not like Mami any more than you do. But I have been caused for that particular purpose and have been made to associate myself to that cause, no matter what."

Cye blinked slowly, the headache still there. "What exactly are you talking about?" he asked. Why did people speak in riddles? Especially when his bloody head hurt.

Ako sighed and thrust one hand into his pocket. "I mean Cye is that I am undercover." He withdrew his hand and showed Cye the small photo-badge and the inscription: SI (Specialized Investigations). Cye stared at it for five minutes before registration crossed his features and he stared up at Ako with a surprised look on his face.

"I've been undercover for six months working on this case," Ako said as he put his photo-badge back into his pocket. "Mami operates the night business of highly esteemed sexual pleasures for women willing to pay big money. Some men don't mind the idea because of high testosterone levels which can cause increased sexual tension. However, there are many many men who do not appreciate the fact of being used nor coerced into a woman's sexual fantasies."

"So why are you letting her get away with this?" Cye asked, cocking an eyebrow. He briefly glanced down at his secured wrists and then back up. "It's obvious you can stop her now, so why don't you?"

"I can stop her, but then I wouldn't have enough evidence to use against her in court. You may not be aware of it, but Mami is biding her time. She doesn't just want Kento, and though she wants you in on it too, she knows you'll resist the most. Which is why she had me abduct you. I hated doing that, but it was the only way to get closer to stopping her in the long run."

"And how does kidnapping me help you with this?" Cye did not see the logic in it. Geeze his head was killing him.

"Simple," Ako said. "My team at the SI Headquarters are aware that I've kidnapped you and thus are hearing our conversation right now." He tapped Cye's left wrist.

Cye followed his look and frowned as he realized there was a small blinking red light coming from under his chained wrist. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

Ako stepped away from him. "Cye, with your help and cooperation, the SI will be able to put Mami away for good. Are you willing to help us and play a role?"

Cye frowned. There had to have been another way to stop Mami than this. Damn it. If only Ryo and Sage were back from America. They would know what to do. He winced. His head. The everlasting dreadful pounding. He would seriously kill for some painkillers.

There did not seem to be another option though. Not one he could clearly consider. Planning wasn't his strong hold. Unlike the others he reacted on cautious auto-pilot. But this one.. Well maybe Ako had something planned, and he did seem quite serious about stopping Mami. Even if the idea was retarded in Cye's opinion.

He sighed and with another wince as he looked back up at Ako. "What do I have to do?"

88888888

Mia kept the gas pedal pressed down to the floor as the he jeep sped around the curving road leading further and further away from her property. Next to her Rowen tapped the screen of some technology he had. She kept her eyes on the road, but wondered if he was using it to help them track Cye or if he was looking for possible places Cye could be in.

In the backseat, Kento watched the trees and pavement of the road shoot past. Where was Cye? How could he have let something happen to his best friend while he had been admiring Mami? Damn it, he should have felt something! He was closer to Cye than anyone else! He swallowed shame. Maybe they weren't as close as they once were. After all he and Cye had been spending less and less time with each other since he started dating Mami. But honestly, Cye didn't need to feel so jealous. It wasn't like he had been forgotten.

He clenched his fists. When they found Cye he would make sure to tell him that. He would get him to see that Mami was not a bad person.

He sighed a little. If they ever found him.

"Man, how much further till we some places that are dark, hot and stuffy?" he asked.

Rowen kept tapping away on his hand held device. "Imaging surveillance has narrowed down fifteen locations," he answered. "Three of them are close by each other, so I'm betting these are warehouses. At least five more stand side by side. These have to be storage places. Four are box shaped with two in front and two in back. These might be abandoned apartments. And three more are much further away, one in front, two in the back. These could be cabins."

Mia briefly glanced over as she turned the wheel slightly to the right to accommodate the wounding road. "Those are all very good places to hide someone," she said. "Though I'm not sure about the storage units."

"I don't think Cye is being held at a storage unit either," Rowen said. "Dark, hot and stuffy were our clues which leaves us little to choose from. Though I do think our main choices should be the apartments and the cabins."

"Well all right then!" Kento suddenly shouted as he looked toward them. "The apartments first! The bad guys always take their victims to cabins or houses, which makes it cliché. I bet this one was smart enough to hide Cye at an apartment because he thinks we'll check the cabins first."

Mia nodded her head and continued to drive down toward Toyama. But out of the corner of her eye she could tell Rowen thought otherwise.

88888888

"Do you think they'll find him?" Ryo asked as he walked beside Sage. They were heading toward their hotel which was about six blocks from their position. Around them the busyness had started to die down somewhat after rush hour. He had never known people could become so irritable just to get where it was they wanted to get to.

"If I know Rowen, which I do," Sage said, "is that he'll track Cye down somehow. I cannot help but worry though, Ryo. We're so far away and we have no idea if the person who kidnapped Cye is a new enemy or not."

Ryo frowned. "What do you mean? Of course it's a new enemy." Was Sage losing his sensibility?

"You know what I mean," Sage said, shaking his head. "A new enemy in the mannerism of Talpa. If such an enemy was out there, don't you think we would have all felt it?"

Ryo frowned. "Now that you mentioned it, you're right. But you did feel something happen with Cye though."

"I did, which puzzles me. He seems in danger..yet not in danger." Sage paused and punched one fist into a palm. "And that's what I _don't_ like, Ryo. My senses have never stirred me wrong before, but for some off-known reason I am sensing both directions. It's like trying to go east and west at the same time."

"Definitely rough," Ryo said and frowned.

"You have no idea."

They were nearly half way there to the hotel when they noticed the crowd several feet up ahead. Blinking at each other in wonderment they quickly increased their pace toward the police units, ambulances, and fire trucks.

No smoke was rising from the hotel, and Ryo did not feel himself strengthening. And Sage didn't react any different other than a uh-oh what happened look. The edge of his mind whispered that something had to have happen and whatever the cause it was right in their hotel.

They came up to the barricaded police line and joined a crowd of onlookers, all staring toward the doors from ten feet away. Police were coming and going through the doors while others were denied entry. At this present moment Ryo didn't care about getting in but he did want to know what was going on.

He tapped Sage and whispered. "Can you get a reading?"

Sage shook his head. "I'm not picking anything up. Strange. Somehow I think it shut off."

"And an inconvenient time like this," Ryo said with a sigh.

"Tell me about it."

The doors opened again and this time two paramedics carefully made their way down the steps wheeling a gurney carefully. Ryo's eyes widened. A corpse? But then something else caught his immediate attention. He felt strengthened suddenly and he quickly glanced toward the source.

A girl with shoulder length brown hair, dressed in a blue short jean jacket with a pale blue t-shirt and wearing denim jeans, had been watching the paramedics bring down the dead person and toward the back of the ambulance. She briefly met Ryo's blue eyes with cerulean eyes and then turned and walked swiftly away.

Ryo blinked. That girl! "Hey wait!" he called.

Sage blinked out of his reverie and looked toward Ryo who suddenly looked like he was about to start running. "Ryo, what's wrong?" he asked.

"That girl!" Ryo said and pointed. He looked back at Sage and whispered, "I _felt_ something from her, Sage. My power felt stronger for some reason."

Sage's eyes lit up. "What are we waiting for? Let's go "after her!

By the time they left the crowd and tried to follow after her trail the girl had already disappeared.


End file.
